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First timer building a new PC - Critique my build, please!

C

codenameRondo

Junior Member
1. What YOUR PC will be used for: Mostly gaming, some internet browsing/word processing.

2. What YOUR budget is: Around $800-900. I'm willing to go up to $1000 if the upgrade would be significant

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from: USA

4. IF YOU have a brand preference: None. First time builder, so whatever parts are the best for my price range.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are: N/A. Upgrading from a 4 year old laptop

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads: Yes, and I have a build that I'm looking to get critiqued.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds: Default speeds for now. Possibly overclocking in the future.

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with: 1920 x 1080

9. WHEN do you plan to build it: Next week

Here's the build I've set up on Newegg. I'm mainly upgrading to play SWTOR/SC2 without terrible FPS. I'd like to play on Ultra, but if that's out of my price range, I understand. I'm going to law school in August, which is why I'm not looking to spend over $1000. Any feedback on my current build would be greatly appreciated!


With Windows 7, that puts me at about $868. If I could get this cost down, since I'll have to buy a monitor as well, that'd be great. However, I'm looking for this machine to last me at least 4-5 years, so if you see an area where I should really get a better piece of hardware, please let me know.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Edit: I just realized I'll need a wireless adapter as well. Can you guys recommend any in particular, or should I just look for a USB Wireless adapter?
 
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There is absolutely no way a HD6850 will last you 4-5 years when gaming on 1080p. You will have to upgrade it in 1-2 years if you want to continue playing new games. It's a bit questionable also whether 2500K will last that long.

Asrock Z68 board for $102 AR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157279
8GB RAM for $35: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820220570
Faster hard drive for $120: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145533
750GB version for $100: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145532

That PSU is good and not terribly expensive but you could get away with less $. Corsair CX600 V2 $45 AR (the +12V is rated the same 40A as in S12II-520)

These changes will save you around $60
 
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The Seasonic PSU is nice. If you want the same thing, but modular, pick up the Seasonic-built Silencer Mk III:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817703035

Modular just makes the cable routing a lot less messy.

The RAM linked by lehtv is a much better value than the Corsair RAM.

I would skip buying a mechanical hard drive altogether with the price hikes; get an SSD. It literally supercharges your system; everything loads almost instantaneously. If you game a lot, load times are reduced significantly. Buy a large secondary mechanical hard drive when prices come back down, or when you can find a better deal (before the price hikes, we were paying $70 for 2TB drives). Intel, Corsair, Crucial/Micron, and Samsung make very reliable SSDs.

If you don't need the flashy lights, think about a Fractal Design case instead:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811352010

Or even a Lian-Li Lancool:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112235
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112318

As others have said, the Radeon 6850 is not adequate for a dedicated gaming rig. You can pick up an unlockable 6950 for under $220:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131393
 
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Awesome. Thanks for the tips! Like I said, I'll be going to law school in August and doubt I'll have any time for gaming except during summers. Even then, my gaming will likely be light. In 4-5 years, do you think that processor/GPU will hold up? I know it won't for Ultra settings, but perhaps medium?
 
I do have an USB External 750gb hard drive. Should I go with the SSD and just load Windows 7/SWTOR/SC2 and just load all my music/movies on the external? I'm worried about space with a 120gb hard drive.

Thanks again for all the tips. Building a PC for the first time can be somewhat daunting to say the least heh
 
codenameRondo said:
Awesome. Thanks for the tips! Like I said, I'll be going to law school in August and doubt I'll have any time for gaming except during summers. Even then, my gaming will likely be light. In 4-5 years, do you think that processor/GPU will hold up? I know it won't for Ultra settings, but perhaps medium?
Click to expand...
No way to tell what the requirements of future games will be. But a pc from 4-5 years ago can do low settings of most of today's games. More taxing games will be unplayable.
 
codenameRondo said:
Awesome. Thanks for the tips! Like I said, I'll be going to law school in August and doubt I'll have any time for gaming except during summers. Even then, my gaming will likely be light. In 4-5 years, do you think that processor/GPU will hold up? I know it won't for Ultra settings, but perhaps medium?
Click to expand...
Never build a PC expecting it to be current years down the line. You will end up spending far more money than you need to.

Another way to think about it:

You have $1000 to spend on a computer. Put $500 in the bank. Spend $500 on a good, modern computer (Core i3, Radeon 6870). In 3-5 years, take the $500 you put in the bank and build a new, modern computer that will be much faster than your old one. A $300 CPU today will be matched in performance by a $50 CPU 5 years from now.
 
codenameRondo said:
I do have an USB External 750gb hard drive. Should I go with the SSD and just load Windows 7/SWTOR/SC2 and just load all my music/movies on the external? I'm worried about space with a 120gb hard drive.

Thanks again for all the tips. Building a PC for the first time can be somewhat daunting to say the least heh
Click to expand...
Yes, or even better, crack open the external hard drive's case; inside will be a regular 3.5" hard drive that you can mount internally.
 
jpeyton said:
Never build a PC expecting it to be current years down the line. You will end up spending far more money than you need to.

Another way to think about it:

You have $1000 to spend on a computer. Put $500 in the bank. Spend $500 on a good, modern computer (Core i3, Radeon 6870). In 3-5 years, take the $500 you put in the bank and build a new, modern computer that will be much faster than your old one. A $300 CPU today will be matched in performance by a $50 CPU 5 years from now.
Click to expand...

lehtv said:
There is absolutely no way a HD6850 will last you 4-5 years when gaming on 1080p. You will have to upgrade it in 1-2 years if you want to continue playing new games. It's a bit questionable also whether 2500K will last that long.

Asrock Z68 board for $102 AR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157279
8GB RAM for $35: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820220570
Faster hard drive for $120: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139027

That PSU is good and not terribly expensive but you could get away with less $. Corsair CX600 V2 $45 AR (the +12V is rated the same 40A as in S12II-520)

These changes will save you around $60
Click to expand...

:thumbsup::thumbsup: to both of these.
 
General Kenobi said:
Unless he's got something like a Buffalo MiniStation. I don't think that he specified that yet.
Click to expand...

I have some Toshiba external. I honestly don't know the model number.

Now you guys have me rethinking this machine all together heh. Now I'm more inclined to build a $500-600 machine to last me for the next 8 months before law school. Like you said, in 3-4 years, when I have more time for gaming, perhaps then I'll drop some major cash on a solid machine.
 
If you're turning this into a $600 gaming build thread, here's my take:

Intel Core i3-2100 $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115078

Biostar H61MGC $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138332

G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) $35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231424

Corsair Force GT 120GB SSD $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233191

HIS Radeon 6870 1GB $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161389

Fractal Design Core 1000 Case $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811352009

PC Power & Cooling (Seasonic-made) Silencer MK III 400W $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817703034

Samsung 22X CD/DVD Burner $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151236

Corsair A50 Heatsink/Fan $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835181012

Total: $615

It would be capable of playing any modern game at 1920x1080 on high settings at playable framerates. I have a 6870 myself and I can run MW3 and Skyrim maxed out at 1920x1200.
 
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Wow dude, you are incredible! I was just going through and selecting new components. Looks like I don't have to look any further heh. Do you think it'd be worth the little bit extra for the i3-2120?
 
The i3-2120 is $20 more for 200MHz more.

You won't notice any difference in performance with only a 200MHz gap, so I would save your money.
 
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+1 on the above build, in general. If you're planning to get the best performance over time for $1000, for the next 4-5 years, the right way to go about it is spend $600 now on a decent system and upgrade the CPU and GPU in a few years.

The SSD over HDD is a decent plan as long as you don't need more space immediately. But I'd still pay a bit more for Crucial M4.

You may want to buy an ATX mid tower so you don't have to replace the case if you want an ATX motherboard next time around. Cooler Master HAF 912 $50 AR. In the same vein, if you buy a more power hungry GPU next time, you may need a new power supply. E.g. XFX 550W $55 AR or Corsair CX600 V2 $45 AR -15%

jpeyton said:
Skyrim maxed out at 1920x1200.
Click to expand...

Max viewing distances and all? CPU and framerates?
 
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lehtv said:
+1 on the above build, in general. If you're planning to get the best performance over time for $1000, for the next 4-5 years, the right way to go about it is spend $600 now on a decent system and upgrade the CPU and GPU in a few years.

The SSD over HDD is a decent plan as long as you don't need more space immediately. But I'd still pay a bit more for Crucial M4.

You may want to buy an ATX mid tower so you don't have to replace the case if you want an ATX motherboard next time around. Cooler Master HAF 912 $50 AR. In the same vein, if you buy a more power hungry GPU next time, you may need a new power supply. E.g. XFX 550W $55 AR or Corsair CX600 V2 $45 AR -15%
Click to expand...

I agree with this, there is also the XFX Pro 450W for $39 AR which is also a Seasonic.
 
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